U.S. patent number 5,752,652 [Application Number 08/802,914] was granted by the patent office on 1998-05-19 for envelope, an envelope blank, and a method of forming an envelope blank.
Invention is credited to Carlos R. Castro.
United States Patent |
5,752,652 |
Castro |
May 19, 1998 |
Envelope, an envelope blank, and a method of forming an envelope
blank
Abstract
An envelope blank, die cut from a sheet of flat paper stock, has
a quadrilateral panel, a sealing flap, side flaps and a closure
flap, with one of the side flaps having a slot formed therein to
define a surmounting tab. A length of string is adhered to a fold
obtaining between the panel and one of the side flaps, and
lengthwise of the fold, and has a terminal end of the string
adhered to the tab. With the tab externalized, the blank-formed
envelope can be quickly and efficiently opened by pulling the tab
away, and drawing the confined string out of the fold, whereby an
end of the envelope is opened.
Inventors: |
Castro; Carlos R. (Budd Lake,
NJ) |
Family
ID: |
25185073 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/802,914 |
Filed: |
February 20, 1997 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
229/312;
229/310 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
27/38 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
27/00 (20060101); B65D 27/38 (20060101); B65D
027/38 () |
Field of
Search: |
;229/310,311,312 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Pascua; Jes F.
Claims
I claim:
1. An envelope, comprising:
a quadrilateral panel having opposite ends;
a sealing flap joined to a given edge of said panel along a first
fold line; and
a pair of side flaps joined to said panel, at said ends thereof,
along second and third fold lines; wherein said side flaps overlie
said panel;
a closure flap joined to another edge of said panel, which another
edge parallels said given edge, along a fourth fold line;
wherein said closure flap overlies said panel;
a die cut slot, formed in one of said side flaps, defining a tab of
a portion of said one side flap;
a length of filamentary material adhered to, and along, one of said
second and third fold lines;
a terminal end of said filamentary material is adhered to said
tab;
said side flaps have edges which are in proximate relationship to
said closure flap;
said closure flap also overlies said edge of one of said side
flaps, and overlies a portion of said edge of the other of said
side flaps; and
said tab overlies said closure flap.
2. An envelope, according to claim 1, wherein:
said side flaps are identical in configuration.
3. An envelope, according to claim 1, wherein:
said closure flap is adhered to said edge of said one of said side
flaps, and to said portion of said edge of said other of said side
flaps.
4. An envelope, according to claim 1, wherein:
said side flaps are of a substantially triangular shape.
5. An envelope, according to claim 1, wherein:
said side flaps are of a substantially rectangular shape.
Description
This invention pertains to envelopes, envelope blanks, and methods
of forming envelope blanks, and in particular to an envelope and a
blank therefor as well as the blank-forming method, which
facilitates a quick and efficient opening of the envelope.
A quick easier-to-open envelope has been sought for many years, and
creative attempts toward such an envelope have been evidenced by
prior patents. U.S. Pat. No. 180,773, issued to H. B. Magruder et
al, on 8 Aug., 1876, disclosed an envelope which has a cutting
string adhered along the right side thereof. At the top right-hand
corner of the envelope is provided a diagonally-peforated tab in
which an end of the cutting string is engaged. To open the
envelope, one disengages the tab, and the string is pulled down. A
disadvantage of this concept is that, upon the tab being torn free
of the envelope, some of the letter contents may also be torn. Too,
if the postage is emplaced with an adhesive label, detachment of
the tab can be most difficult.
The U.S. Pat. No. 1,155,740, granted to F. X. J. Lacroix et al, on
5 Oct., 1915 also employs a cutting string placed in the bottom
fold of the envelope. At opposite ends of the envelope, the string
is secured in small, narrow, perforated tabs. Again, to open the
envelope, one grasps one of the tabs, pulls it free of the body of
the envelope, and pulls the string lengthwise of the envelope. Here
too, the letter contents are susceptible of damage, by tearing,
when the tab is torn free. Finally, emplacement of the cutting
string lengthwise of the envelope causes the opening to take a
little longer than if the string were enplaced along a shorter fold
of the envelope.
W. W. L. Ahana was granted U.S. Pat. No. 1,328,028, on 13 Jan.,
1920 for yet another envelope with a cutting string. In this
concept, the string is emplaced along a longest fold, inside the
top, seal flap. At one end of the seal flap, a tab is formed by
cutting out a V-shaped notch. One end of the cutting string is
adhered to this tab. Until the envelope is finally sealed, of
course, the string is subject to damage and/or displacement. Also,
frequently envelopes are sealed with transparent tape and, in such
circumstances, the opening arrangement will be defeated.
On balance, the prior art envelopes with a tear-off tab require a
tearing-off of a corner of the envelope, with attendant damage to
the envelope cotents possible. The problem with the string adhered
to the fold of the seal flap was discussed in the forgoing in
connection with the Ahana patent. Some envelopes incorporate metal
tabs, and these incur costs which greatly outweigh any advantage
realized in quick opening.
Notwithstanding the thoughtful endeavors of others toward the
matter, there remained a need for a quick-opening envelope which is
(a) cost effective, (b) involves only a single, ergonomic motion to
open the same, (c) is non-damaging of the contents, (d)
complementary to standard, envelope die-cut methods, (e) is devoid
of metal tabs, and (f) constructs from a novel blank which is
formed from from common, flat paper stock.
It is an object of this invention, then, to meet the aforesaid
need. Particularly, it is an object of this invention to set forth
an envelope comprising a quadrilateral panel having opposite ends;
a sealing flap joined to a given edge of said panel along a first
fold line; and a pair of side flaps joined to said panel, at said
ends thereof, along second and third fold lines; wherein said side
flaps overlie said panel; a closure flap joined to another edge of
said panel, which another edge parallels said given edge, along a
fourth fold line; wherein said closure flap overlies said panel; a
die cut slot, formed in one of said side flaps, defining a tab of a
portion of said one side flap; a length of filamentary material
adhered to, and along, one of said second and third fold lines; a
terminal end of said filamentary material is adhered to said tab;
said side flaps have edges which are in proximate relationship to
said closure flap; said closure flap also overlies said edge of one
of said side flaps, and overlies a portion of said edge of the
other of said side flaps; and said tab overlies said closure
flap.
This invention has as another object the disclosure of a novel
envelope blank comprising a quadrilateral panel having opposite
ends; a sealing flap joined to a given edge of said panel along a
first fold line; a pair of side flaps joined to said panel, at said
ends thereof, along second and third fold lines; a closure flap
joined to another edge of said panel, which another edge parallels
said given edge, along a fourth fold line; and a die cut slot,
formed in one of said side flaps, defining a tab of a portion of
said one side flap.
Concomitantly, it is an object of this invention to set forth a
method of forming the aforesaid envelope blank, comprising the
steps of providing a sheet of flat paper stock; die cutting said
sheet to form thereof (a) a quadrilateral panel with opposite ends,
(b) a sealing flap joined to a given edge of said panel along a
first fold line, (c) a pair of side flaps joined to said panel, at
said ends thereof, along second and third fold lines, and (d) a
closure flap joined to said another edge of said panel, which
another edge parallels said given edge, along a fourth fold line;
and forming a slot, in one of said side flaps, to define a tab of a
portion of said one side flap.
Further objects of this invention, as well as the novel features
thereof, will become apparent, by reference to the following
description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures, in
which:
FIG. 1 depicts a plan view of an envelope blank, according to an
embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmental view of a corner of the envelope
blank of FIG. 1, the same showing the die cut tab;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of an envelope, constructed according to an
embodiment of the invention, in which the closure flap is being
adhered to just a portion of the right-hand, side flap;
FIG. 4 is a view like that of FIG. 3 in which, however, the tab is
shown overlying the closure flap;
FIG. 5 illustrates an envelope blank, according to the invention,
of a different configuration;
FIG. 5A depicts the envelope formed of the blank of FIG. 5; and
FIGS. 6 through 9 depict the progressive opening of an envelope
which incorporates the invention therein.
As shown in FIG. 1, a sheet 10 of flat, paper stock has been die
cut to form an envelope blank 12. The blank 12 comprises a
quadrilateral panel 14 having opposite ends 16 and 18, a sealing
flap 20 joined to a given edge 22 of the panel 14, along a first
fold line 24, a pair of side flaps 26 and 28 are joined to the
panel 14, at the ends 16 and 18 thereof, along second and third
fold lines 30 and 32.
A closure flap 34, joined to said panel 14, along another edge 36
defines another fold line 38. The sealing flap 20 has an adhesive
swatch 40 as is conventional, and edge portions 42 and 44 of the
closure flap 34 can also have adhesive (not shown).
A right-hand corner of the junction of the panel 14 with the
right-hand side flap 26 has a perforated portion 46, and an
adjacent portion of the flap 26 has a short, die cut slot 50 formed
therein. A length of string 52 is glued lengthwise of, and along,
the second fold line 30 and, as can be seen with particular clarity
in FIG. 2, a terminal end 54 of the string 52 is glued to a tab 56
which obtains between the die cut slot 50 and the perforated
portion 46.
FIG. 3 shows how the closure flap 34 is caused to overlie the edge
of the side flap 28, which edge is most proximate to the closure
flap 34, and the closure flap 34 is proceeding to overlie a portion
of the proximate edge of side flap 26. The portion of the side flap
26 which constitutes the tab 56 is not overlied by the closure flap
34. On the contrary, the closure flap 34 has its edge which aligns
with the slot 50 enter the slot, and the tab 56 overlies the
closure flap 34. FIG. 4 shows the tab 56 set over the closure flap,
with the envelope 58 ready for its insertion, and sealing of the
sealing flap 20 onto the closure flap 34 and the upper portions of
the side flaps 26 and 28.
FIGS. 5 and 5A illustrate the invention in connection with an
envelope blank and envelope of a configuration differing from that
shown in FIGS. 1-4. Index numbers, in FIGS. 5 and 5A, which are the
same as or similar to those in FIGS. 1-4 denote same or similar
elements as those in FIGS. 1-4.
FIGS. 6 through 9 illustrate the simplicity of envelope opening
with the present invention. As depicted in FIG. 6, the tab 56 is
gripped, and pulled toward the fold line 30, tearing the flap 26
along a short length 60, the latter being shown in FIG. 7. Next, as
shown in FIG. 8, the tab 56 is drawn toward the right, to open up
the perforated portion 46. Finally, the tab 56 is pulled away from
the envelope 58, as shown in FIG. 9, to cause the string 52 to open
up the fold line 30.
While I have described my invention in connection with specific
embodiments thereof, it is to be clearly understood that this is
done only by way of example, and not as a limitation to the scope
of the invention, as set forth in the objects thereof, and in the
appended claims. The envelope-opening article has been described as
string 52. However, self-evidently, such string could be replaced
by filamentary plastic, or wire, or the like. Too, perforations,
die cuts and such could be supplanted by score lines, in some of
the applications, to yield the same results. Accordingly, all such
modifications and/or substitutions are deemed to be within the
ambit of the invention, and embraced by the ensuing claims.
* * * * *